For the first time since I was thirteen, I have finished a rough draft of a novel-length piece of fiction. Also, first piece of original fiction to exceed 15K words in the same span of time. By which I mean, my rough draft of my NaNo novel has all its bones in place.

*flops*

Now, I am going to reward myself with pasta, and then I get Dragon Age.

Tags: original fiction, writing
Feeling: accomplished

I got another 1800 words wrangled out of Every Light today. With this result as the total wordcount:



I am so close to done. SO CLOSE. I need to do like 200 words of a transition somewhere in one of the chapters, and maybe 700ish words of a scene in Chapter 14, and then I pick up where I left off at the end of last NaNo in Chapter 26, and full steam ahead. Maybe I can finish the damn thing this year. I'm certainly going to try.

(No, this is not my NaNo project this year. Though it certainly could be.)

Sleepy cat. Bed times now.

Tags: every light casts a shadow, writing
Feeling: accomplished

But until then I am going to abuse this spate of productivity.

1800 words for DCP, 7 NPC's generated (in a system I don't know, and it only took me a few hours all told).

300 words of world-building for NaNo.

And currently, 103 words and counting for Every Light.

tasty productivity.

(poking Kain with sharp sticks is always such fabulous fun.)

Tags: every light casts a shadow, writing
Feeling: busy

Today has been a pretty useful day, all things considered. I made myself a to-do list, and I've been progressing through it at an acceptable speed. Job hunting for the day has been done; I wrote about 1400 words combined of outline and review for honestgamer; I washed all the dishes; I worked out for about 45 minutes (and wow, I feel soreness settling in. Oops.) I did a lesson in Japanese, and read a chapter in my book on Japanese culture (which I am not overly fond of--the book, I mean--but that's a rant for later.)

Still to do today: 1000 words on my FFEX story, to which I am holding my delicious dinner plans hostage; writing a ritual for tomorrow; and maybe some web design. Although I suspect I may throw that last onto tomorrow's list, as I am slightly rar and lazy and want to do FUN THINGS.

Speaking of fun things, I started Suikoden - yes, the first one - last night. I have just finished the thing in Sarady. So far, I like the game well enough, although I am really annoyed that when the first character departed my party with no warning, he was carrying both an artifact and a rune piece. Aaaargh. (Also, uh...I find it a little creepy that everyone is hitting on my character. Who is named Doofus, because I am a freaking paragon of maturity and sensible behaviour. Yeah. That.) Also, holy cheese wow but I got walked hard right at the beginning - I was like "oh, so I am to go off with the Dragon Knight to the Island. But wait! There is equipment here that I can use to upgrade all five of my characters! Woe, for I do not have enough for all of them. Well, I'm in the very first town - I'll just step outside and earn some money, and everything will be fair and shiny!"

Uh. Hahahaha. Um. The first two times I tried that I got into fights with a Boar and two Crows. Which led to everyone being dead in 2 rounds. Um. FAIL. On the third try, I managed to find a group of puffy blue things instead, whom I killed for much money and also two levels. After that, it went a lot better. ....And then of course I go to Magicians' Island and realize that no, I really was supposed to just go there first without upgrading my equipment, as I proceeded to carve a bloody swath through the enemies there without taking a single point of damage the entire time I was there. Oops! :D

Okay. FFEX--1000 words or bust!--and then food, and then ritual, and then I can have games. :D

Tags: ffex, learning, studies in japanese, suikoden, writing
Feeling: cheerful

So all day yesterday and the first half of today, I had what I figured was either a cold of death or allergies - ridiculous sinus pressure, sore throat, etc. I figured allergies were more likely, based on the kind of sore throat I had, but I figured I'd just get through it and deal. Except, you know, it kind of hurt to breathe, or swallow, or talk. Jan gave me Claritin, and wow, my throat no longer feels swollen! It doesn't hurt! My sinuses feel less like they are attempting to implode into miniature singularities! Hurrah.

Since I was feeling so crappy last night, I didn't manage to upload any kitty pics, or post any fic. However, so far today I have finished the first draft of wallwalker's Auron/Lulu fic from the drabble prompt post, and restarted and managed to actually finish the Balthier/Ashe/Garnet for trialia, so now I just have to wrangle Edge and Rydia for seventhe and everything will be awesome. Maybe I'll even get a few words of Every Light done. (I'm making do-not-want face at everything else I have in progress. Apparently I do not feel like being mopey and angsty today. Maybe it's too sunny or something.)

*flump* I need a long nap.

Tags: writing
Feeling: listless

I am accomplished today.

Written today:

-100 words for fated_children
-858 words of porn
-about 1000 words of miscellaneous Every Light characterization discussion/meta
-1600something words of Every Light

Total: 3675

and in just one day, I am caught up on getyourwordsout.

That's how awesome I am today.

Now I am going to reward myself with blankets and bedtime. I did good.

Tags: works in progress, writing
Feeling: accomplished

Of the earlier to-do list, I accomplished....sending the e-mail regarding Mage. In which I forgot at least two house rules. Damn. Fail.

I did, however, go for a nice long walk. And got fresh fruit (organic, even. Oh my God, FOOD PORN. And I only feel a little bit bad for eating most of them and not sharing. Only a little, and only because I got sad-eyes for it.) And there was fiddling about in the kitchen that resulted in delicious things, and amusing times watching movies. So it wasn't a waste of my day.

I did also spend a few hours doing prep work for het_challenge, by which I mean re-reading the entire script of the game in question and I am once again in awe of the freaking incredible translation and gorgeous language. I don't know why I'm always so intimidated by writing this canon. I just am. I keep feeling like I'm not competent enough for it.

In other news, I had an amazing moment of revelation of Stuff To Do In Mage that, naturally, will not fit into my chron in the timeline I have planned for it. And no, my dear brain, you cannot has a sequel yet. You don't even know if anyone's going to like the original concept, even though you're crossing your fingers really hard.

Anyway. More reading, now.

P.S. Mage, I've missed you. Please forgive my long-standing affair with Exalted, and I apologize for that four-night-stand with Scion, and I swear I really was thinking of you those times I played Shadowrun. And you know, me and Vampire, that's just a nostalgia thing that doesn't mean anything. I love you, baby. ♥ You're still the best.

Tags: challenges, dork, gaming, mage: the ascension: arthurian chron, silly, writing
Feeling: chipper
Hearing: VAST - We Will Meet Again

ohmygod you guys not fair who put so much Rina-bait up on kinkfest? NOT FAIR. omg.

I'm doomed.

Tags: writing
Feeling: excited

I was reminded today during a conversation of this blog entry from DreamCafe, which I started following as a leapfrog from Steven Brust's blog (and I'm pretty sure that *that* is sister_coyote's fault...) but vagaries of Internet leapfrogging aside, it's an amazing post.

The short explanation is that it's about Shakespeare, and the use of language, and the layers of words. It fascinates me and makes me think really hard about the writing process, and what I do with it, and what I could do *better* with it. I'm not sure I am capable of putting this level of detail into every word of a novel, for example, if I ever intend to finish one - but maybe I would start doing it with drabbles.

...Anyway. It's interesting, damn it. Go read.

Tags: language, shakespeare, writing
Feeling: contemplative
Hearing: Nobuo Uematsu - Let the Battles Begin!

One more piece from het_challenge, and a new bit.

The Comforts of Hell
FF4. Kain and Golbez. Rated PG. Spoilers through Fabul. Part of Lucis Ante Terminum. "He must have offended the gods, to suffer the whims of fate thus."

On Easy Terms
FF12, Drace/Gabranth. PG-13 for implied sex; spoilers up to the Salikawood. "Gabranth dislikes the layers and complications of any interaction with a native Archadian."

Tags: fic pointers, final fantasy iv, final fantasy xii, writing
Feeling: chipper

So I'm in the final dungeon of Xenogears, which is yay. I had to replace the bitty!PS2 I bought on Saturday, for it would not read Xenogears, which was less yay, but the guys at EB were very nice (God knows they know me there; I spend enough money.) In other news, I got the Onion Knight Job Class in FF3, and 2/3 of my characters are ready for Kefka's Tower in FF6. So I proceed apace on the gamings.

In writing news, here are two new bits of fic. As usual, links open in a new window.

Ray of Light FF6, G, very minor spoilers. Terra is like a ray of light.

Out of Place FF12, PG, major ending spoilers. Penelo feels quite out of place at an Archadian ball. Written for sister_coyote as part of het_challenge Spring 2007.

Two more het_challenge reposts shall be forthcoming, and I finished a chapter on my Yuna fic today that will go up perhaps tomorrow. Need to work on Lulu fic. I also finished a Beatrix fic on Friday that I gave to justira so, in a word, I am productive.

Anyway. Time for sleepses.

Tags: writing
Feeling: sore

First drafts all done, and submitted for beta. They would've been done sooner, except that certain people just can't be succinct if their lives depend on it, and certain other people insisted on there being explicit things, which just slowed the whole thing down ridiculously. I am dead of blushing. Meeps.

*deep breath* Oh well. Sigh.

Tags: challenges, writing
Feeling: anxious

I am astoundingly productive today. Two stories done! Happy Rina.

Now, I sing (badly, but wrenbow is graciously permitting me to warble off-key, and sometimes in harmony and rarely in tune) and play Puzzle Quest.

Tags: challenges, halp halp!, i love michael ball, rina can't sing no really i can't, writing
Feeling: accomplished
Hearing: Michael Ball - With One Look

So, I know I've been jumping around from fandom to fandom too much (read: like a frog on meth) when, in the midst of trying to write Skies of Arcadia fic last night, I typed "Reno" instead of "Ramirez."

It doesn't help that I totally got a really hardcore crossover bunny in which Rufus is the elder son of Empress Teodora who was banished for some treasonous act and is employing the Turks as spies and sky pirates while plotting to regain his throne.

It really, really doesn't help that I very much like the idea and want to write it. -.-;

On the plus side, four down, nine to go!

Dear F-list,

Please don't ever let me take this many challenge fics EVER again.

Love,
Rina

Tags: au, bad idea, challenges, crossover, fanfic, final fantasy vii, soa, too many claims, writing
Feeling: rushed

Today has been a very cranky day. I am not a happy Rina at all. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Okay. Now I'm done with that. On the plus side, I did write about 1000 words today (katmillia, the story's not done, I'm so sorry. I, uh, will have to get it to you tomorrow because I fail.)

Also on the plus side, I get to see rage_gobin tomorrow. This is yay.

Now i am going to take my very cranky and tired self off to bed--as soon as I finish venting about truly inconsequential and trivial things.

I hope I get to talk to first_seventhe more tomorrow. This stuff with her always in meetings? Gotta go. How on earth are we to reach our 200-email-a-week benchmark this way? ;_;

Tags: i do not want you to be pointy, i stole this tag from sev, i'm in ur ljs stealin' ur tags, sev and rina need a hobby, sev/rina otp, writing
Feeling: cranky
Hearing: Nobuo Uematsu - The Prelude

Kain finally decided to cooperate, and thus, I present In His Footsteps, my fic for mithrigil on ff_exchange. 4200 words, because Kain refused to shut up.

Also, randomly, that prompt took one of the bunnies off my huge bunny list, because I was halfway through it and realized it fit perfectly. So yay!

....Now back to the other seven challenge fics...

Tags: fanfic, halp halp!, too many claims, writing
Feeling: aggravated

And I am getting basically nothing done on challenges. Also I realized that one deadline is a month later than I thought, which is actually really bad, because I can't afford to procrastinate until then, and so I wish it really was when I thought it was.

...That made no sense. Um. I procrastinate and also fail at life. x_x; Back to convincing myself my original notion was the real deadline, and that this story IS GETTING DONE RIGHT NOW OH GOD.

Also rage_goblin and I have our most awkward conversations via email. ....Somehow, this does not surprise me at all, knowing me.

Stupid weather changing and giving me headaches, too. :(

Tags: awkward conversations, challenges, failing at deadlines, fanfic, halp halp!, i do not want you to be pointy, i stole this tag from sev, i'm in ur ljs stealin' ur tags, sick, writing
Feeling: cranky

Yesterday was terrible up until I got home, but it got moderately better from there.

A few amusing statements from the evening:

sabrielrose, in reference to my post from yesterday: Yeah, the guys at the garage totally took your CD, Meg. They were like "SWEET! Avril Lavigne!"

persona, in reference to one of the opening quests from FFXII: I really did not need the game to tell me that I have a Small Package.

Cue Rina rolling on the floor in a fit of the giggles.

At any rate. There was also much talking with celeloriel, and I did do the packing for this weekend's trip home.

I was hanging out with wrenbow and Jeremy, and trying to clean the cat's box prior to departing. Jeremy was kind enough to haul the heavy cat litter for me from the old liner, and then I put in a new liner, opened up the bucket of kitty litter...and it was empty. This necessitated a late-night Jewel run, but all was eventually resolved, and we chatted and had a good time generally hanging out. I went to bed way too late, so I'm super sleepy now, but ah well. It was worth it!

I wish I could bring KH2 home with me to play, but as there is no PS2 at Mom and Dad's place, I shall be contented with FF6 Advance and FF3 DS. Other things I intend to accomplish this weekend are:

1. Minimum 3K words on challenges
2. Editing/posting the first chapter of Every Light
3. Add 1K words to Every Light
4. Planning a Mage oneshot for celeloriel and yi_sen
5. Finish reading Dragon-Blooded 2.0
6. Update RPG Place (no, really.)

I do not know how much of this I will actually accomplish, but I can damn well try. :D

Anyway. Back to work.

Tags: challenges, fanfic, quotes: real life, quotes: video games, writing
Feeling: bouncy

laylah has a title to an entry about "ON Challenge: Nearest -> Accept." My FF12 dorky side finds this incredibly amusing, especially as I seem to have the same Gambit set up (THANKS bottle_of_shine AND justira, CAUSE I NEEDED ANOTHER CHALLENGE THIS SPRING OMG.) Si-i-igh. So right now the tally stands at three for het_challenge, two for gen_challenge (and oh, there are some really shiny prompts there that I'm sitting on my hands to not claim) plus the minimum one fic I'll write for ff_exchange and I'm sure more of the prompts will bunny me.

HALP HALP.

I should invest some XP in this mysterious thing they call "willpower."

Speaking of XP, DCP last night was entertaining as hell. Though I feel bad for some people and the things that happened to them, but I cannot say anymore until Secrets Night.

Uh, yeah! Okay! Off to....do something. I think maybe play FF6. Joe is coming over later and other stuffs shall happen then, too.

Tags: dcp: perth, fanfic, halp halp!, i think i have gambits irl, rina can't resist challenges, too many claims, too many tags, writing
Feeling: chipper

It's been a relatively quiet one thus far. I spent Friday night hanging out with wrenbow while she fiddled with DCP stuff and I wrote a massive number of shortfics. They were all intended to be drabbles, but Kain and Aeris kind of ran with it, so it ended up more. I've made my choices on my het_challenge prompts and...I'm going to be so insanely busy, especially since one of my prompts could easily turn into the dreaded 10,000 word epic thing. Curse you, deadlines. I've already gone through and set personal deadlines for the alpha versions of these fics a month ahead of time, because otherwise there's no way anything will get done.

Yesterday I went out to lunch with sabrielrose and calhin, and thence to Borders, where I spent a while drooling in the medieval/renaissance section (but I was good, and only picked up the Tain). calhin didn't find what he wanted there, so we went to B&N, where I picked up a book called Labyrinth by Kate Mosse, which looks like it will either be awesome or terrible. I came home and started Kingdom Hearts II, which I will comment on momentarily, and then we played Ravenloft. Pelor is still completely awesome, and now I have another level of cleric to prove it XD

So! KH2, which I have been wanting to play for a while (and it's all laylah's fault, for writing shinyshiny fics!) I did play through KH1, and I made an attempt at Chain of Memories, which just aggravated me no end, so I pretty much gave up on it. I'll look up the video one of these days. I've figured out enough from reading fic that I'm not completely lost in KH2.

So, Seifer's gang! WTFSEIFER. What have they done to you. Also: Dear Setzer, I am sorry that they murdered your completely awesome outfit. Love, Rina.

I started it on Proud mode because I wanted to get the perfect ending first time through (since I doubt I'd have the patience for the mini-games twice!) and, uh, wow. I got pwned by some Dusks in the Dive to the Heart, and the Twilight Thorn zorched me the first go round. I did better the second time. I'm not sure what I think of this Reaction thing, and the explanations of the Forms just have me kind of bewildered, but I guess I'll figure it out eventually. I'm only up to the tournament, so we'll see how that goes.

Now, to do that, to play FF6 Advance, or to start working on outlining my various fics? I know what I should do, but I think I'm going to play something instead, at least until Joe gets here.

Tags: dungeons and dragons, fanfic, kingdom hearts 2, lost my mind, writing
Feeling: amused